Time Loop
by Lucy Labrador
Summary: When Solaris was extinguished, the timeline was reset. But Shadow is doomed to repeat the suffering of his destiny. When Solaris destroys the timeline again, Shadow remembers. But it is too late. Mephiles is desperate to ensure his own existence. Shadow is forced to endure his fate again. It's different, but the misfortune is still the same.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Elise held the small flame in her hand and presented it to Sonic. Sonic looked up at her with a melancholy expression. Both of them knew what had to be done. They looked at each other through sphere of illumination."If we put out this flame, Solaris will never exist, and then we'll never have to worry about the flames of disaster, right?"

"No!"

The two of them looked at the doorway. Shadow burst in and stopped in the middle of the room, panting. "No, don't do it. It won't work." He looked tired.

"Shadow, you survived," Sonic said with a smile. "What about Silver?"

"None of that matters if you put out the flame. We have to find another way to stop solaris." He bent over and his eyelids dropped in exhaustion.

"Well whad'ya suggest, Shadow?" Sonic asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"I don't know. But we've been here before, and look where we've ended up," Shadow said. "It didn't work. It's all come back to me now. I'm so tired. I can't take it anymore!" He shook his head as he pressed his hands against it. "No more. Please."

"Shadow, you're delirious." Sonic stepped towards him. "You gotta explain what's going on."

"N-no time. Just please don't put out that flame." Shadow fell to his knees. "Take it where it can't be experimented with. The flame will take a different path and… Mephiles will never never exist. Solaris can exist in the way the Solarians intended."

"Are you sure about this?" Sonic asked.

"No." Shadow said and looked to the floor. "But it's worth a shot. Please."

"Sonic. What's happening?" Elise asked, eyes wide with worry. "Should we listen to him?" Sonic shrugged. Then, light footsteps sounded from the doorway. A dark figure walked in.

"There you are. Shadow, you will pay-" It was Mephiles. He noticed Sonic and Elise and narrowed his eyes. Then he froze when he noticed the flame.

"Quick! Put it out! That's like his past self or something!" Sonic exclaimed. Elise leaned forward.

"NO!" Shadow cried out. Elise blew out the flame.

RESET

2002

"Commander. I'm bored of this," Shadow stated. He was laying back on a sofa in a leisure room of GUN HQ. "I haven't had a mission since Soleanna." He sat up and looked the Commander dead in the eyes. "Is it because I didn't find that Sceptre of Darkness?" He folded his arms and waited for an answer. The Commander sighed.

"It's not that. You're just not needed," the Commander said. Shadow twitched. "Shadow, I know you're goal driven so this is hard for you."

"Understatement," Shadow spat. "Give me something to do. Anything."

"Shadow. You know you're a special case and have to be kept under supervision," the Commander tried to calm him.

"You mean Prisoner!" Shadow yelled.

"It's not like that, Shadow," the Commander sighed in exasperation.

"Of course. I'm not a prisoner until I decide I don't want to work for you anymore. Then I'm back to Prison Island." Shadow grit his teeth and shook in anger.

"Calm down, Shadow. Just. Stay here and watch TV. I'll see what I can do," the Commander said and left the room. Shadow stomped his foot on the ground, then swung back around to lie on the sofa again.

"Stupid humans," Shadow muttered under his breath. He looked to the side to look at the TV that was quietly droning in the corner. It was The News. The text on the screen read: ' _Sapient Numbers in United Federation Increase_.' Shadow gave out a 'Tsk'. "Shouldn't have bought them over here in the first place then, pathetic humans." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "I'd better not count in those numbers. I am not one of them. They're not even good enough to be associated with me." Shadow soon dropped off to sleep.

Darkness. Shadow didn't know where he was. Each footstep caused a metallic pang. Metal shoes on metal floor. Shadow looked down. He still couldn't see. He looked up again and all around. He took in a breath and felt the cold air scrape his lungs. He folded his arms and shivered. This was unusual. He rarely shivered. He stepped forward, but hit something large and solid. A wall perhaps? He stepped back until he felt something cold and solid his his back. He turned around and felt for what it is. A control panel. He could feel the buttons. He pressed one. The console lit up. Shadow could see the outline of something that made his very soul shiver. Not this again. He never wanted to see this again. His shivers became intense and he stepped back. But he still felt cold. Why was he so cold? He breathed out and saw a large cloud of mist block his vision. His teeth began chattering and his legs becoming limp. It was almost as if he was being frozen. Shadow felt the room spin, then suddenly he was falling. He landed on his back with a thud, then heard a slam. He put his hands out, but glass blocked him. He banged again and again. There was no use breaking it. He could feel the freezing temperatures on the glass surface, even through his gloves. White hot pain burnt his skin. A cold burn. His legs frozen in place, then his torso. Shadow screamed out in terror. Not this. He scrunched up his eyes, and on the back of his eye-lids he saw a pair of green eyes flash up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Shadow jolted awake and jumped to his feet. High alert. He looked around the room frantically. It was light. And warm. But he still shivered and wrapped himself in his arms. He closed his eyes and tried to push the feelings out of his mind. "Not this again." He looked to the door. Still wide open from when the Commander left. The TV still showed the news. He hadn't been asleep for long. Just typical. No sleep because of haunting dreams. The same scenario. The same green eyes. Not like Sonic's; different. Shadow pondered to himself about the dream. Then, he took a deep sniff. He could smell something. Food. Yes. Shadow walked out of the door and to the Cafeteria.

"Okay, Shadow. We have a mission for you," the Commander said. Shadow leaned forward in anticipation. He was sitting in the Commander's office, having been called in. The Commander picked up a file and handed it to Shadow. "After much consideration, the higher-ups feel that we can trust you with this task."

Shadow read the file and frowned.

"Boring," he said. "Check over military base in-" His eyes widened and he ducked back. Surely he read that wrong. He wanted to read it out.

"You don't have to do it if you're uncomfortable with it," the Commander said. "We thought that it may be convenient since you can teleport." Shadow looked at the words on the sheet. Prison Island. "You won't be in the Prison Areas. We just need to keep an eye on the reconstruction since…" Shadow looked at the Commander with irritated eyes. The Commander looked away with a sigh. Shadow hid behind the file again.

"Are you sure it's safe?" he asked, a hint of timidness in his voice.

"Yes, Shadow," the Commander said. "I even questioned this to the authority and I have good confidence in them that they will look after you."

"I don't need looking after!" Shadow slammed the the file down on his lap.

"You know what I mean, Shadow," the Commander said. "Now, do you accept the mission?"

Shadow looked down to try to hide his worry.

"Yes, I'll do it," he said. He suddenly stood up and walked out of the door.

* * *

Shadow was handed a report.

"Take this to your Commander," an uninterested mechanic said and walked over to one of the large tanks.

"That's it?" Shadow asked. No answer. "I came all of the way here for this? You could have emailed this!"

"If I'm being honest, I think they just wanted to appease you," said the mechanic. "Now get out of here. I'm busy." Shadow's shoulders dropped.

"I'm really not needed anymore," he breathed. He turned to walk out of the room when suddenly he felt a shiver go down his spine. An image flashed in his mind. The cryochamber. His heart raced. He had to get out of there. "Chaos con-" He stopped. He looked down. Several floors below was the Cryochamber. He could feel it. Level 0 spanned over the whole of the island; at least it may have with the vast machinery and areas of torturous confinement. Shadow gulped and wiped sweat from his brow. Yet, despite the sweat, he could feel cold again. His instincts told him to leave. To get out of there. It was dangerous. But something drew him towards it. "I need to face my fear. This is ridiculous. This behaviour is too pathetic for an Ultimate Life Form." He closed his eyes and mustered up the courage he needed. "Chaos Control!"

The room was dark. But there was a large source of light in the the middle of the room. Shadow felt drawn to it. He walked over and grabbed it. It was a Chaos Emerald.

"This is what's been bothering me," Shadow breathed a sigh of relief. His fear turned to calm and he stood in the room, realising that it wasn't as bad as he remembered. If he were getting frozen again, then perhaps. But that wasn't the case. There were no plans to incarcerate him, to trap him in an icy prison of pain and solitude forever. Shadow gulped away the last of his fear and turned to the door. Then, as he reached for the handle, or the control panel, something to escape. Then he stopped and tensed up. "Wait." He looked down at the emerald. "Why was this here if they didn't plan to use this place?" Suddenly, the lights turned on the the room could be seen clearly. From the corners emerged several tall humans, two in military uniform and one in a long white lab coat. Shadow's tail went between his legs. He gripped the Chaos Emerald and opened his mouth to bark his command. Then he felt a sharp pain pierced his chest. He looked down and saw a dart sticking out of his chest fur. His breath became shallow and he dropped to his knees.

"Extra concentrated… for the Ultimate Life Form," said the scientist. He put the small gun back in his pocket as he walked over to Shadow. The soldiers joined and grabbed Shadow by the arms and lifted him to his feet. Shadow felt too weak to even lift his head, so he just slumped in their grasp. His hand was too limp to hold the emerald and he dropped it. Shadow watched in sorrow as it rolled from his grasp. He was helpless. All he could do was watch and experience whatever they would do to him.

"Why… did the Commander lie to me?" Shadow rasped.

"He didn't. Your branch of GUN don't know the plan of your capture," the man in front of Shadow said. He looked down at Shadow with a triumphant smirk. "Do you think that it's a coincidence that you've been given no missions? We've wanted to weed you out for a while now. This was the perfect opportunity. Your Commander wanted the best for you, and it got you captured."

The two others dragged Shadow towards the machine. The hedgehog attempted to struggle, but he couldn't move his limbs.

"Get him into the machine quickly, before the sedative wears off," the man said and watched with a sadistic smirk as Shadow was pushed into the pod, his wrists and ankles strapped in place. One of the soldiers moved to the control panel. "No. Keep him awake for a while." The scientist walked over to the control panel and pushed the soldier out of the way. He fiddled with the controls and Shadow's pod was pivoted forward, revealing him to the Scientist below. Shadow felt the gravity tug on his centre whilst the bounds kept his limbs attached to the back of the pod.

"Comfortable?"

"No," Shadow growled. "What is wrong with you humans? Why can't you leave me alone?"

"Because we were hired to capture you. Simple enough," the scientist said wryly. "You belong here with us. You were meant to remain in stasis until we needed you. And, we don't need you." Shadow looked at him with wide, pleading eyes.

"Please. You do need me."

"You've been sitting around doing nothing for nearly a year now. Do you honestly think that we need you?"

"Then let me go and live my life," Shadow said in exasperation.

"With those powers? You're a danger to society," the man said. "Enough talk. Your opinions don't matter. You're a lowly scientific project. You're research, not a person."

"Wrong," Shadow growled.

"That may have been wrong for a while, but now you're going back where you belong," the man said darkly. Then he pressed a button. The glass lid folded over Shadow, and the machine hissed and sealed shut. Then it turned to a horizontal position and lowered down beneath the ground, into the abyss below. Shadow was left in darkness. The hedgehog started shivering. He screamed out at the top of his lungs. He had a life now. He had friends. He hadn't seen them in so long, and now he would never see them again. There was no shame in crying out for help, because no one of significance to him would ever hear him. He was trapped, and he wasn't ready to say goodbye to the world that he'd become so comfortable in. Shadow attempted a deep breath, but could only manage a shallow inhale. The frigid air burnt his lungs and the blistering cold scorched his skin. He couldn't move. Then, he felt heavy in his heart, and closed his eyes, making the most of the last sensations of life.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

"GRAB HIM!" a deep voice yelled.

Shadow was blitzed by the sensation of life; it didn't feel good. He fell from his pod, straight onto hard metal flooring. He coughed and spluttered on his hands and knees. Then he was grabbed by a set of hands and pulled in all directions. His cold body felt like it would shatter. Then, he was pulled upright to his knees and held still. He concentrated and try to see through his blurry vision. It wasn't humans grabbing him, it was a group of sapients. One of them snapped a collar around his neck. Shadow felt something small and thin prick his neck.

"What the hell!?" Shadow cried out.

"Something to subdue your powers. And to keep you sedated." Shadow looked up to see a black falcon standing before him, looking triumphant. Shadow attempted to stand up, but he was pushed down by the other sapients around him. Shadow grit his teeth in anger, and growled up at the falcon. "Here he is, the 'ultimate lifeform'," the falcon air quoted. "Not so ultimate now." Shadow's head dropped and he looked down in shame. The falcon bent over and grabbed Shadow by the chin, forcing the hedgehog to look up again. "Huh. Not what I expected. A youthful pretty boy."

"What?" Shadow spat and narrowed his eyes.

"Girls would be all over you, if it weren't for the fact that you're actually an old grandpa," he mocked.

"Who the hell are you to say this to me? What's going on!?" Shadow yelled.

"Who am I? I am Hightail the Falcon. I run this place," he said.

"As if," Shadow remarked. The Falcon glared down at him. Then he glanced at the others. "You can leave." The other sapients let go of Shadow and walked out of the door. Shadow could see that they were all wearing orange jumpsuits. The falcon, however, was wearing a different kind of uniform, one of authority. Shadow snarled at Hightail and threw a punch at him, but the swing was weak and pulled Shadow down. The hedgehog fell to the floor face first. "You'll feel a little weak with that sedative. But don't worry, you'll get used to it." He looked down at Shadow disdainfully.

Shadow shivered and tensed up. Then he covered his mouth.

"I need a bathroom," he winced.

"Sorry, you'll have to hold it. I don't feel like letting you go," Hightail said, smirking down at him sadistically. Shadow turned his head and glared up at him.

"Not that, you idiot. I'm going to-" Shadow heaved and covered his mouth again. He clutched his stomach whilst shivering.

"It's probably the sedative," the falcon said.

" 'The hell is it?" Shadow rasped.

"I don't know. Whatever we could find. Could be anything. But that shouldn't matter, _Ultimate Life Form_." There was such malice whenever he said that.

" _What_ is your problem?" Shadow spat. "I'm on your side."

"No. You are not on our side. You are our sworn enemy," Hightail asserted. "You started this."

"Started what?" Shadow asked, and closed his eyes and looked down. He felt so tired. The room saw spinning. His stomach kept twisting. This was worse than the worse nausea he had ever felt.

"It was your generation that got us all thrown in this place," Hightail complained. "And now, you're going to help us get out."

"How?" Shadow rasped, feeling his body get heavy and his stomach constrict. He couldn't hold it any longer. He vomited onto the floor in front of him, rolled over, and passed out.

* * *

Shadow opened his eyes to a pounding headache. He pushed himself from the floor and realised that he was in a small prison cell. It was only 2 square meters big. It was dark, cold, and hard. Shadow leant against the back wall and stared at the door. Then he looked down at his abdomen and groaned. His stomach growled at him. He clutched it and shivered. He wished he hadn't expelled the contents of his stomach before. He had a feeling it would be a while before he got to eat anything else. He tilted his head back to rest against the wall, it felt light and dizzy. He lifted his hand and felt for the collar. It was still there, still piercing his neck, still giving the horrible sedatives.

Shadow attempted to stand by pushing his arm against the floor and rising up. He fell back again and hit the floor. He stayed there, feeling ashamed. It didn't feel like long ago that he was speaking with the Commander and living his normal life, and now he was in a future he was clueless about and locked up in a cell, feeling like death.

How long had it been? 50 years again? Maybe he was lucky and it was only a few years. Maybe he could salvage what he had before. But then Shadow thought about what Hightail had said. 'Your generation', and he had called Shadow 'Grandpa'. So he was bound to be a few generations forward. How far along could that be? 80 years? Maybe he was lucky if that was the case.

The door suddenly swung open and light flooded the room. Shadow squinted up at the person in front of him. It was Hightail again.

"I see you're awake," he said, smirking down at Shadow. "What services do you require? Breakfast?" he asked in a mocking tone.

"A bathroom," Shadow winced in discomfort.

"I'm afraid we don't offer this service to _Ultimate Life Forms_ ," Hightail said. He bent down and grabbed Shadow by the collar and pulled him to his feet. The needle in Shadow's arm was tugged, this made him yelp in pain. Shadow winced at Hightail as he was held up to the falcon's face.

"Please, let go," Shadow rasped. Hightail let go and Shadow flopped over and dropped face first on the floor. "Not like that…" his voice was muffled by the floor.

"It's the sedative. C'mon. Stretch. Shake it off. You can do it!" the Falcon mocked. Shadow grit his teeth and growled; he pointed his hateful gaze straight up from the floor. He managed to lift his knees up, but his face was still on the floor.

"When I get out of this… you're going to pay," he rasped. Hightail's smirk grew wider. He stepped over to the side of Shadow. He tilted his head and admired Shadow's fallen figure. Then, he kicked Shadow in the stomach. The hedgehog spluttered and groaned, then curled up on his side and clutched his abdomen. The pain resonated throughout his body. He felt so weak. He closed his eyes and let out a tired sigh.

" _That_ is how confident I am that you're not getting out of this," Hightail taunted. "Not in my lifetime at least."

"Believe me. I've gotten out of some sticky situations," Shadow groaned, sounding like he no longer cared. He kept his eyes closed. His lids felt too heavy to open. "So, where is it?"

"What now?"

"The bathroom. Where is it?" Shadow asked halfheartedly.

"You'll be lucky if you get your turn today," Hightail said. "The lines go for miles."

"What the hell?" Shadow asked.

"Get up and I'll show you what I mean." Hightail helped Shadow off of the floor and rushed him down the corridor. Shadow was pushed through a door, and he entered a room of busy life. The room was filled with orange jumpsuits and sapient faces. Shadow stumbled forward and fell against a table. He held himself up with his hands. His legs shook under his weight.

"Wow, is the sedative that bad?" Hightail asked as he walked past Shadow. Shadow looked around the room. It was filled with cheap dining tables, most of which were full of bored looking prisoners. The spaces between the tables were filled with moving sapients.

"This place has changed…" Shadow said whilst surveying his surroundings. He spotted a long line at the back of the room. He followed it with his gaze and saw where it led. "Bathroom line?"

Shadow stumbled over to the next table and used that to keep him upright. He kept stumbling from table to table, ignoring the people that sat there, and dodging those that walked between them. Then, Hightail stood in front of him and stopped him.

"And where are you going?" he asked. Shadow pointed with his eyes to the door the line went through. "Ah. A bit of trouble there. Notice how this room is full. Completely full. How many people are here?"

"I don't know. And I don't feel like answering any quizzes right now," Shadow said irritably.

"2000. There are 2000 men here. In the other hall there are about 1800 females. And do you know how many bathrooms there are in this place?" Hightail asked confidently. Shadow didn't answer, instead, he just gave a deadpan expression. "Five per section. Five bathrooms shared between 2000. Do you honestly think you're getting anywhere today?"

Shadow was silent. "Do you know how many beds there are in this section? 100. 100 between 2000 people. Food rations? Lesser and lesser each delivery. The contents of that? Dry protein bars. The conditions in here are so dreadful that inmates started causing trouble to go to maximum security. There, they get a bed each. A private room. People misbehave just to get there. Now, it's the well behaved that go to the higher security levels and the baddies to go solitary."

"What point are you trying to make?" Shadow asked.

"This is YOUR fault!" Hightail grabbed Shadow by the collar again. "Shortly after you were put into stasis, they started rounding up all of the Sapients in the United Federation and sent all of them here. The humans didn't want us anymore." Shadow looked at Hightail in confused, and then surprise when the message sunk in.

"This is a… concentration camp?"

"Yes." Shadow closed his mouth and his lips thinned. An unfathomably dreadful situation, which was apparently his fault.

"How is this my fault?" Shadow asked.

"You're the only one left from that generation! You could have done something!" the Falcon yelled.

"How could I have done anything? I didn't know-" Shadow stopped, and looked down in thought. That news story about the rising sapient numbers. He pictured himself looking away in disdain and then rolling over and disassociating himself with the sapients. "Huh."

"What? Realising how you could have helped?" the falcon asked. Shadow didn't answer. "Anyway. The humans forgot about you. We found you here, and we plan to use you to get out of here."

"Can't do much when I'm this weak," Shadow said and pointed to his collar. Hightail smirked.

"Oh, you can. And I'll show you how."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Shadow was led to a higher security area.

"We separated males and females due to overpopulation," Hightail explained as they walked. "But, some lucky inmates get the privilege to… interact with the opposite sex." Shadow frowned at this.

"That's barbaric."

"It's our only choice. And we might as well let the best genes get through," Hightail said.

"You're breeding yourselves!" Shadow exclaimed. Hightail nodded.

"And as we understand, you are quite the impeccable specimen." Shadow stopped and looked at Hightail in disgust.

"Don't you dare ask this of me."

"There are 10 beautiful females waiting for you, Ultimate Life Form."

"You DISGUST me!" Shadow yelled and threw a punch at Hightail, but the same thing happened as before and Shadow ended up on the floor. "I refuse," he grumbled.

"Come on. You'll easily charm them, pretty boy."

"No."

"What if I told you they want it?" Hightail asked. "Only people who wanted to go through this programme are waiting for you."

"Then I would say that I don't believe you," Shadow snarled and pushed himself up to his feet.

"It's true. Take a look for yourself. They're right through here."

"NO!" Shadow yelled. He stood, breathing heavily and shaking in anger. "You're sick."

"This the reality, Shadow. Take it or leave it," the Falcon said boredly. "Do you want to save us or not?" Shadow looked away, feeling his cheeks burn up. "What's your issue? Something's not right here."

Shadow turned around fully, to get away from the falcon, who began smirking. "Oh, don't tell me the ultimate life form has never done the deed?"

Shadow stiffened. "Okay, okay. If you really don't wish to do this, then that's fine. We came prepared. Hightail spoke into a walkie talkie. "Plan B." A couple of sapients in white coats walked out into the corridor and passed Shadow a cup and a magazine. Then they stood and waited behind Hightail. Shadow looked down at the plastic cup and the magazine in confusion. He was clueless. He held the magazine by cover and let it fall open at a random page. On it were photographs of… naked sapient women. Shadow dropped the magazine and covered his mouth. His cheeks burned red.

"I don't understand."

Hightail looked at Shadow in disdain.

"Surely the Ultimate Life Form knows how to…" Hightail suddenly broke out into laughter. Shadow threw the cup onto the floor and stomped his foot.

"What is it!?" Shadow roared. His cheeks burned a hotter red, this time in anger. Hightail just laughed harder. Even the the scientists behind him began sniggering. Hightail slowly calmed his laughing.

"What do you do think? Plan C?" he asked whilst wiping a tear of laughter from his face. The scientists nodded. Hightail's expression grew dark and he spoke into his walkie talkie. "Subdue him."

Shadow looked around him when he could hear footsteps. Several sapients in orange uniform came storming into the corridor. Shadow attempted to run, but they can from all directions. He was grabbed and dragged towards one of the door and shoved inside. Then, he was strapped onto a cold metal table. Shadow looked around him in fear. Hightail entered the room with the scientists.

"I'm sorry, Shadow, but we're going to have to extract what we need from you by force," Hightail said. Shadow's eyes widened in terror. His spine tingled and his throat closed up when he saw one of the scientists approach him with a needle.

The corridor was filled with Shadow's screams.

* * *

Shadow curled up in the corner of the main hall, shivering all over.

"G-Gerald never told me about th-that," he muttered to himself deliriously. His crotch burned with pain. "Just what were they expecting me to do?"

His corner was shaded when a tall figure loomed over him. Shadow looked up.

"My corner. Get out."

"No one owns corners. Wait your turn," Shadow snapped. He sat upright. The fellow sapient didn't seem as tall now that Shadow's face wasn't level with the floor.

"You're one to talk mr shaky," the inmate taunted. "Where's your uniform, shaky? What makes you so special? Too shaky to get into it?"

"Schoolboy insults," Shadow spat and rose to his feet. He pushed the inmate, and they stumbled backwards. This grabbed the attention of others. An open circle was made for the two of them, people were ready to watch a fight. Shadow looked around to see that he was surrounded. Then he glared at his adversary. "I suggest you step down, before you get hurt!" Shadow said firmly whilst pointing at him.

"You don't wanna fight because you can't handle it!"

"What? I'll show you-"

BANG

The sound pierced the air, and Shadow's skull. There was silence. Shadow stumbled as he put his hand up to the side of his head. He looked down at his fingertips to see his gloves were soaked with green blood. He turned to his side to see Hightail still pointing a gun at him. Shadow couldn't comprehend what had just happened. He darted for Hightail.

BANG

Another bullet, straight through the centre of the skull. Shadow fell back and hit the floor with a thud. Blood pooled around his head. The world turned fuzzy. The crowd began yelling and falling back in terror. Shadow blacked out.

Shadow was picked up by a couple of the inmates and dragged towards the main door. At that, Shadow gave out a large gasp that echoed through the room. This set the crowd off, many of them darted off, as far as they could away from Shadow. The two sapients carrying Shadow looked at him in terror, took a while to process what had happened, then dropped him and ran in terror. His skull had closed up. The dry blood remained sprayed down his body like imprinted waterfalls. The falcon stood in front of Shadow and looked down at him, admiring the hedgehog.

"Okay… I wasn't expecting that quick a recovery. I'm glad we did this," Hightail said. Shadow looked up at Hightail was a fuzzy gaze.

"What the hell is going on?" he rasped.

"You're going back to your cell, Shadow," Hightail said gravely. Then, the two sapients came back and picked Shadow up again. As they walked through the door, Shadow said,

"Ugh… I have a splitting headache."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Shadow found the four dried blood spills on his head and worked out what had happened. He lay in his cell, waiting for the pain to subdue, when suddenly the door swung open again.

"Your time is up, hedgehog." Shadow was picked up by two sapients and dragged out of the room. He was taken down to level 0. The sapients managed to drag him all of the way there, despite how much he struggled. Shadow was shoved into the large cryochamber room. His heart seized up and he found that he couldn't breathe.

"Don't." He scrambled for the door, but the guards grabbed him and pulled him back. "Not again. Please! I'll do anything!" Hightail grabbed Shadow by the collar and yanked him towards the machine. Hightail then grabbed the top of Shadow's head and pulled it upwards, forcing Shadow to look up at the pod. Shadow winced and shut his eyes. It made his heart stop just to look at the machine. He'd experienced it's torturous process twice already. He didn't want to go through it a third time.

"This is where you'll go if you cause trouble like that!" Hightail yelled at Shadow, whilst shaking him about violently. Then, he threw Shadow to the floor. The hedgehog hit the metal with a thud and stayed there. Hightail began sniggering. "For an _Ultimate Life Form_ , you're pathetically weak."

"You've sedated me. Of course I'm weak," Shadow argued. His voice broke whilst he spoke, and he was trembling all over.

"No. Weak in the other way. Look at you. You're sobbing like a child," Hightail taunted. "Maybe you are a child. Couldn't prove your manhood. Couldn't give us your sample. Was clueless as to what we actually needed and how to give it to us. And now you're bawling like a child."

"Go to hell!" Shadow snarled and pushed himself to his hands and knees. Hightail bent down and bashed Shadow's head against the control console in front of them. Shadow's vision went blurry.

"Take him back to his cell!" Hightail ordered. Shadow just sat limp as he was dragged by his shoulders out of the room.

As Shadow was getting dragged towards his cell, a loud commotion started. Shadow looked around, confused. What had happened?

"Oh crap. I forgot it was delivery day!" Hightail exclaimed. "Get a uniform on him, STAT! And change his shoes" he yelled at those guarding Shadow. The hedgehog looked horrified.

"NO! You can't take these from me!" he yelled, but he was dragged away against his will nonetheless. Several sapients pinned Shadow down in one of the cloakrooms and pried his shoes and gloves off of them. One sapient laid their hands on an inhibitor ring. "GAH! Don't you DARE take those off!" Shadow yelled when There was silence. "If these are pulled off, I'll burst into flames and kill both of you." The group looked clueless. "They're power inhibitors!" he snapped. They got back to work and forced him into a jumpsuit. At this point, Shadow was compliant and just limply allowed them to. What was the point in trying anymore? He felt like he had the strength of a five year old child. No wonder Hightail had taunted him of his childishness before.

Shadow followed the group out to the main hall in his new uniform.

"Y-yes. Everything is orderly here as usual," Shadow could hear Hightail say from inside. The voice crew clearer once they walked through the door. A human passed Hightail a note.

"If that's everything," said the only human in the room and walked out through the back door. Shadow noticed that everyone else was silent. They were afraid. Shadow looked at Hightail, even he seemed intimidated. Hightail walked out into the middle of the room. Hightail looked up from a paper receipt.

"By the looks of things… we're going to have to ration food even further," he called out. There was a chorus of groans. Shadow put his hand on his empty abdomen and guessed that in this time of ration, he would get nothing. Hightail glanced at Shadow. Then he walked over. "None of the humans saw you?"

"No. I was busy getting pinned down," Shadow said through gritted teeth and stared him down.

"Good. They can't be reminded of your existence." Shadow's annoyed look turned to an amused one.

"Really?" he asked, raising an eye ridge, then craned his neck to look at the door that the humans had left out of. Hightail raised his hand at Shadow.

"You'd better not think about it." Shadow glared at Hightail. "What? Do you think they'll be your saviour? They'll just leave you here to rot with us. Or send you back to your cryochamber." Shadow felt a shiver go up his spine. "I'm watching you, Science Fair Project." He stormed out of the room through the crowd. Shadow watched him leave, then kept his head low as he took the same path to the door. When he exited the room, he saw Hightail storm around a corner. Shadow looked both ways to check that no one was watching him, then rushed down the corridor as well.

He saw Hightail walk through a set of double doors. Shadow put his hands in his pockets, looked innocent, and walked through the doors. Hightail was examining a large set of crates. It took the falcon a few moments to realise that Shadow had walked into the room and walked over to the crates. One of them was open. It was a shipment of a few various supplies. Shadow saw a box of matches. He felt his heart skip a beat. Perfect. He swiped them. Hightail looked up from his crate and jumped in surprise when he saw Shadow.

" _What_ are you doing here?" Hightail snapped.

"You were meant to be watching me. Can't do that if we're in separate rooms," Shadow said smugly.

"Watch it. I will put you back where you came!" Hightail pointed at him angrily. "Away from the merchandise." Shadow walked backwards until he reached the door, then stood silently by it. Hightail continued checking through the crates. "You'd better not expect food."

"I didn't."

"Good." Shadow watched Hightail boredly; his stare burned into the falcon's back. Hightail turned around. "Don't try to intimidate me. I'm the one in power here." Shadow's expression didn't change. "Get out of my sight." Shadow gave a shrug and walked out of the door, then smirked as he walked down the corridor.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Shadow found his way back down to the cryochamber. When he walked through the door, he didn't feel that shiver go down his spine. He looked at the large, echoing chasm around him. The control panel, and the chamber itself. Then he took the match box from his pocket. He looked down at it, feeling numb inside. He took out a match and lit it.

"No more." He held the flame up. Then, he walked over to the console, found a frayed wire at the side of it, and held the flame to it. It caught fire. Then, he threw the match into the open chamber. He began lighting many matches and threw them into the chasm below. The room was filled with metal and concrete, so it took a while for anything to catch alight. Shadow watched as the flames slowly grew. Surely there was some chemical, some substance, from the machine that would catch alight. Shadow took a few steps back. Then, the dark room was filled with a red glow. Shadow felt the fear and hatred for the machine melt away. He was filled with delight.

"What the hell are you doing!?"

Shadow swung around. Hightail had run into the room. "I was an idiot to let you roam free!" Hightail grabbed Shadow by the collar of his jumpsuit. "You do realise that there are other cryo chambers."

"The others didn't hurt me." Shadow smiled widely. This was a weight lifted off of his shoulders. Hightail dragged Shadow out of the room and pushed him against the wall.

"You're fucking insane. Do you know how much trouble we're in now!? I should have just put you straight back in there! I was going to anyway once the pregnancies were confirmed!"

Shadow looked at Hightail with wide, furious eyes. Then he grabbed Hightail by the shoulder and punched him in the face. Hightail fell to the floor, then reached for the control panel in his pocket. Shadow felt the veins on his neck sting, then felt dizzier.

"You obviously need a higher dose…" Hightail snarled. The world began spinning and tipping, so Shadow couldn't stand straight anymore. He fell to his knees. He felt the knot in his stomach and his head get heavy. He dropped forward, his face hitting the floor. He wanted to say something in retaliation, but he couldn't speak. He couldn't move his mouth. He couldn't move. He couldn't do anything. He blacked out.

* * *

Shadow awoke, stripped of the collar and jumpsuit. He was getting shoved into a small pod. A glass door closed over him. Shadow looked down to see Hightail and a few other sapients at the control panel below.

"Like this one, Shadow? Newer than your old cryochamber. You'd be glad to know that this one is made for… weaker beings than you. The freezing process is a little kinder." Hightail pressed a few buttons on the panel. Shadow sighed and closed his eyes. He didn't have the strength to feel afraid anymore. "Knockout gas, so you don't feel the freezing process." A clicked a switch. "But… I'm afraid we're all out. Harsh economy, this prison has," he said maliciously.

"I'm still numb from your drugs," Shadow slurred. Hightail snarled as he slammed his hand down on the largest button. The chamber got cold. Shadow felt the shiver once more.

"I really do hope that this hurts…" Hightail said maliciously. Then he walked out of the room, leaving Shadow to glaciate in the sub zero temperature.

* * *

Shadow gasped yet again and fell to the floor. He coughed and wheezed.

"When will this stop," he rasped. "I'll kill you, Hightail!" He looked up. Hightail was nowhere to be seen. Instead, it was another group of sapients.

"There's no hightail here," one of them said. Shadow pushed himself and sat up. He folded his arms.

"What year is it?" he asked, closing his eyes tiredly.

"2302," someone answered. Shadow sighed in frustration and leant back and rested his head against the control console behind him. "We need help. To escape from the humans."

"After the way I've been treated?" Shadow asked. "Hell no."

"But you're one of us. You need to join the resistance. We're so close to getting out of this place," a desperate voice said.

"One of you? I was never one of you," Shadow growled. "You will never have my support."

"You have to!" A voice called from the back.

"Why?" Shadow remarked. The group began shuffling, a split formed down the middle. A confident figure stepped forward. Shadow started in surprise at the sight of him. It was a silver hedgehog. Shadow felt gravity flip and the floor vanish from beneath him. His sight turned a shade of teal. He was lifting into the air. Shadow felt his head begin to ache.

"Because, great-grandfather, you don't have a choice."

* * *

Shadow sat on a boat, headed out for the mainland. He glanced to the side of him to glare at Silver every other moment. Every time Shadow looked at Silver, he felt the pain in his head return.

"Be ready. The humans should attack soon," Silver warned. He stood at the front of the ship. "Wait, what?" There was silence on the boat. Into the distance, the mainland began to show. There was an orange glow on the horizon, and they floated under a sky of black.

Shadow looked at this in surprise, then held his head as a shock of pain rattled his skull.

"It's getting worse," he grunted.

"The whole world. It's covered in flames!" Silver yelled.

"I can see that!" Shadow yelled, closing his eyes tighter.

They reached the mainland. As they tried to step foot on the burning lands, a creature formed from a magma pit. It looked like it was made of fire, lava and molten rocks. The eyes were green, and it's roar was terrifying.

"What is this!?" Silver yelled. Shadow looked through gap in his eye lids. It hurt to look.

"I-Iblis…" he rasped. His heart skipped a beat. How did he know? Shadow had no idea. "Th-this isn't right…"

"Shadow! Help us!" Silver yelled. Shadow hissed in pain and resentment. Everyone jumped out of the boats and ran forward to fight the beast. Shadow stayed in the boat, paralysed by the pain in his head. He blacked out again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

When Shadow awoke, the sky was bright, the flames were gone, and the ground was safe to walk on. He stood atop of a skyscraper. Below was a remaining lava pit. He pondered his situation, and the new life he had been cruelly thrown into.

"Would I live if there was nothing left of me?" he asked, looking down.

"SHADOW!" Silver yelled from behind. Shadow turned around. His tail went between his legs. There was a large ball of fire above Silver, which was surrounded by a teal aura. "I-I can't hold this! My body won't take it!"

"WHAT IS IT!?"

"The monster. It has to be sealed!" Silver yelled. Shadow growled. "You have to do it."

"No," Shadow growled. "I know what that entails. Eternal life. No freedom to… to shed a tear of emotion. And I'm holding a lot of emotional burden right now." He folded his arms.

"The world depends on it."

"The world is already dead," Shadow said darkly.

"We aren't dead, Shadow," Silver said. "What about the rest of us? On that Island. Ready to come out to the mainland? Do you want them to be trapped there forever?"

Shadow looked at Silver in hatred. He took a few steps back, towards the edge of the skyscraper. "Shadow! I know you're bitter, right now! But this isn't the answer!" Silver yelled. Shadow narrowed his eyes at Silver. Challenge accepted. He stepped back and fell through the air. Gravity pulled him towards the fiery pit. He jolted to a stop just above the scorching lava. He felt the searing heat singe his tail. He was surrounded by the teal aura again.

"This is childish, Shadow!" Silver called out, as he elevated Shadow back up. Shadow folded his arms and glared at Silver. Then, Silver grabbed Shadow by his chest fur and pulled him right up to his own face. "Do you really want to die that bad!? You've got an amazing gift! Don't throw it away!"

"I have a curse," Shadow spat. He felt his eyelids sting, and liquid gather in front of them. "And this, you're trying to bring upon me…" Silver let go of him.

"Shadow! I can't hold this much longer…" he winced. Shadow fell to his knees.

"Just… just do it," he said, looking down. "It's what Maria would have wanted." He closed his eyes and waited for the flames to enter him.

At that moment, Shadow wished that he was back in thecryochamber. Freezing was not as painful as this. As the flames entered his chest and flowed through his body, it not only tormented his physicalbody, but is very soul and being. When it was over, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell forward and blacked out.

* * *

"Just how many times am I going to wake up, confused?" Shadow asked himself as he rubbed his eyes. He was somewhere new again. A small makeshift shelter.

"It's all we could do, for now," Silver said. Shadow looked at Silver, then began rubbing the sides of his temples in pain.

"You're literally such a headache," Shadow grumbled. He stood up and walked to the exit. A large opening in the rubble infrastructure Silver had built.

"Excuse me for looking after you!" Silver said. "I could have left you on that building!"

"You're just looking out for me, to make sure I don't kill myself, or cry," Shadow accused. He kept his back to Silver. He couldn't stand to look at him. "Don't worry. That won't happen. Despite my moment of desperation, I do care about what happens to this world."

Shadow looked down and thought. What next?

"I'm sorry this had to happen to you, Shadow. But… you're immortal. You're the best candidate for this."

"What a wonderful existence…" Shadow grumbled. He felt a numbness in his chest. It's all he could feel. Anything to avoid any emotion that could possibly lead to tears. Then he realised something and looked at Silver with curiosity. "How did you know my body would accept it? If it didn't accept yours and we're apparently…" he looked Silver up and down in disdain. "... related… how did you work out that my body would accept the flames."

"I read your file, Shadow. And… you were quite the pyromaniac a couple centuries back. It says you burned a cryochamber. Just stood there and watched it burn. You embraced the flames, Shadow. Enjoyed them. So, I had a feeling you could embrace these flames."

Shadow grit his teeth in frustration and cursed himself under his breath.

* * *

"Soleanna. I feel like this is where I'm meant to be," Shadow said to himself. He was standing on ruinous ground. Once, a castle must have stood. Now, there was just ruble. "I seem to know a lot of things without explanation at the moment." He stepped into the middle of the grounds. "This place has the answer. I can feel it."

Something caught his eye. It was something purple and shiny. He walked over and picked it up.

"A… sceptre… of some kind?" Shadow asked. The item began to rattle. Shadow dropped it in surprise and it shattered. A shockwave threw Shadow back, He fell onto his tail. A purple mist escaped from the broken sceptre. It threw itself into Shadow's black shadow on the floor, and from it, formed a being the same shape as the hedgehog. It mirrored Shadow, except in colour.

At this moment, Shadow felt his head spin, a thousand images flash through his mind. "AAAH!" he cried out and held his head in pain. Then, the pain left and he opened his eyes, enlightened. "I know now! I know what's happening!" He pointed at the creature.

"You do," the creature answered and tilted his head. "Finally. After what feels like the millionth time, you were able to detect this time loop BEFORE the paradox!"

Shadow winced at this, then shook his head frantically.

"We've done this before. Flames of disaster. Humans locking me away. It always happens. In different ways. Different orders. But… no matter what, it always happens somehow."

"Yes, Shadow. We are always destined to meet like this. You break the sceptre. I take your form. I torment you, just for the fun of it!" Mephiles announced triumphantly. "And I was trapped in that sceptre for too long this time. 310 years? You took your time."

Shadow swallowed.

"There's something different about you," Mephiles said, and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Then, he straightened up and looked at Shadow, aware. "Iblis." Shadow tensed up. "Iblis is inside of you."

Shadow raised his hand to form a spear. It sparked, but nothing appeared. Shadow looked at his hand, then back at Mephiles, eyes wide in terror. Shadow leapt back as Mephiles swiped for him. Shadow slowly trudged backwards as Mephiles approached him, sphere forming in the demi-god's hand.

"What is your fate to be, Shadow? Death by disintegration, or extraction through torture?" Mephiles asked menacingly. Shadow was pressed up against half a collapsed brick wall.

"I'm not doing this again, Mephiles. I will not let you fuse with Iblis," Shadow said indignantly.

"You will be begging by the end of this," Mephiles hissed, then swiped at Shadow. The hedgehog slid sideways and tripped to the floor. Mephiles threw his sphere down at Shadow, but the hedgehog rolled out of the way. "Stop avoiding the inevitable."

"That's exactly what you're doing Mephiles!" Shadow yelled. He pushed himself up to one knee, then leapt up and flipped backwards. Another sphere landed where Shadow just was. Mephiles pulled his arm back and tossed a dark chaos lance just as Shadow hit the ground. Shadow stopped, his eyes wide with pain. He looked down. A beam of light blinded him. He couldn't move. Every small movement was agony. He gave out a choke.

"M-Mephiles…" he pleaded. He felt his eyes sting. "STOP!" He shut them tight, holding back the tears. Mephiles tilted his head, and his hand also. Shadow could feel the phantom lance inside of him twist. It wasn't smooth. It was edged and ridged. Shadow's cries were blocked by a cough of blood. Mephiles watched Shadow with great interest. He was enjoying Shadow's expressions of pain. Shadow heaved and panted in agony. "P-please."

"Cry."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Mephiles sighed, then his pulled his fingers up. Shadow felt the phantom spike point upwards. He gave out a strangled cry, then slumped forward, floating in midair, kept up by Mephiles' torturous lazer. Mephiles thrusted his arm back and Shadow slumped onto the floor.

"You know that this is just the beginning, Shadow. It would be best to give in now," Mephiles said as he walked over and stood over him. "Anything to say, Shadow?" No answer. "Please cry for me," he mocked. Shadow closed his eyes, knowing what would come next. Mephiles lifted his leg, then stomped down with full force on Shadow's spine. Shadow grunted. His battered insides could hardly take anymore. He knew what would happen if he lost. He could just face the paradox and try again. But he had no toxic substances or prison collars to hold him back now. He had no excuse to give in so easily.

Mephiles bent down and grabbed Shadow's quills. The demi-god gave them a strong tug. Shadow's body was bent backwards with a sickening crack. The hedgehog choked and grunted with pain, but hardly gave a response.

"Giving up?"

"J-Just getting started!" Shadow retaliated. Mephiles sighed and dropped Shadow's head and lifted his foot from Shadow's spine.

"Hmm. What is the most painful thing imaginable?" Mephiles asked. "Maybe I need to start ripping organs out." Shadow closed his eyes and braced himself. "It's so sad for you, Shadow, that you would survive this. But luckily for you, not for long. Because I shall just destroy this timeline once I fuse with Iblis. Your suffering undone."

"Until next time, and it all comes back!" Shadow cried out. Mephiles kicked Shadow to roll him onto his back. Then, Mephiles pulled Shadow up by his chest fur. His free hand, he held out. It flashed to crystal. Shadow gasped and scrunched his eyes up tight. Mephiles plunged the sharp crystal shard fingers into Shadow's chest. Shadow saw white and his eyes rolled back. Mephiles gripped Shadow's heart, and yanked it from his chest. Shadow slumped to the floor. Mephiles looked down and watched Shadow's face, specifically, his eyes. Any tears? Finally, yes. Shadow was motionless, expressionless, seemingly lifeless. But of course he was very much alive… a tear fell from his eye, rolled down his cheek and onto the floor. Wish a blast, Iblis was released. Mephiles was right, it was inevitable.

* * *

Shadow awoke with a gasp. In front of him was Sonic and Silver.

"Shadow! What happened? You released Iblis!?" Silver cried out.

"Wh-what's this?" Sonic asked. "Hey Shadow. Aint seen ya' in a-while. Coulda' used your help." The blue hedgehog folded his arms and looked down at Shadow irritably.

"Why?" Shadow closed his eyes, feeling a thumping pain in his chest.

"Humans are treating us like dirt," Sonic said and put his hands on his hips. "Cartin' us off to Prison Island. They haven't caught me yet."

"That's why they put me away. So I couldn't help," Shadow said under his breath. Silver looked at Sonic.

"Wait, you're from back then?" Silver asked. "We just escaped from there." Sonic put his hand on his chin as he looked Silver up and down.

"Nice chest fluff, buddy," Sonic said, then eyed Shadow suspiciously. Shadow sighed in frustration.

"We need to turn super and destroy Solaris," he stated. The other two looked at him in confusion. "Do we have the emeralds."

"Yeah, Shadow. That's what we used to heal you," Silver said. Shadow looked down, there was still green blood dried on his chest fur, but the holes were healed up.

"That's what I can feel. A new heart…" Shadow pondered. "I don't think it likes me."

"So, we goin' super?" Sonic asked. "I'm guessin' you can do it too?" He looked at Silver. Silver shrugged.

"You can," Shadow said and stood up. "Let's do this."

"The flame's through here," Elise said. "It once inhabited me, when I was alive, many centuries ago."

"I see. That's why you're here," Sonic said. The two of them walked into the room. "Shadow."

Shadow was already in the room, holding the flame.

"What do we do? If we put out this flame, we'll just end up in the same place again. We need to do this differently."

"What are you talkin' about, Shadow?" Sonic asked.

"Shut up, Sonic! You don't remember! I remember all of the times we've ended up here!" Shadow yelled. "I'm so tired. I can't take this any longer." He closed his eyes tight and thought. "Mephiles. Solaris can exist. But Mephiles can't. And Iblis. They turn Solaris into this… destructive thing. Just let the flame exist as it is. No experiments." Shadow looked at Elise. "Princess Elise. You need to stop your father from experimenting on this flame."

"How?" she asked. Shadow swallowed nervously. He didn't know how. "I won't remember."

"Hey, Shadow. How do you remember?" Sonic asked. Shadow looked at Sonic, feeling helpless.

"I don't know." His shoulders dropped.

"You're tied to me, that's why," Mephiles said as he waltzed into the room. "You cannot avoid this, Shadow. You're doomed to repeat this, forever." Shadow set the flame back on the stand. He folded his arms and stared at Mephiles.

"We'll see. We're doing this differently," Shadow said. Mephiles looked back at Shadow confidently. Shadow walked over to Elise and grabbed her by the hand. He looked into her eyes, imploring her. "Please. Remember this. Stop your father from experimenting on the flame." Elise nodded with determination. Mephiles didn't seem bothered by it.

"I shall see you again, hedgehog," Mephiles said and walked out of the room.

"Hey, how do we get out of this place?" Sonic asked. Mephiles chuckled from the corridor. "Aww man, there'd better be a bathroom in here."

"We're not… stuck here, are we?" Shadow asked, tensing up. Sonic shrugged.

"I guess we're not getting reset if the timeline's not getting wiped out," he said. Shadow growled in frustration.

"Shadow… I'm guessing the flame was blown out before, and we're still in this situation? Mephiles and Iblis still managed to exist." Shadow looked at Elise in surprise.

"Yes."

"So we just blow out the flame, and I'll try to remember this. I'll make sure my father's experiments don't happen." Shadow nodded. Then he took the flame.

"Perhaps… if I blow it out… it'll change something," Shadow said softly, the blew it out.

RESET

2002

"You did it. Thank you," Shadow said.

"It was my honour, Shadow. Anything to save the world," Elise said and bowed, then she looked over his shoulder. Inside the castle, her elderly father was alive and still ruling.

"Hopefully there will be no resets. I'd hate to have passed on the burden of remembering to you," Shadow said as he turned to leave.

Once he left the castle premises, he was stopped. Shadow's breath was caught in his throat. He felt his heart skip a beat.

"I still exist." It was Mephiles.

"It didn't work!" Shadow cried out, grasping his head in frustration. Mephiles shook his head.

"You're wrong. It worked. I wasn't created in this timeline. However… I have the ability to jump timelines."

"So it's useless. You'll always form Solaris!"

"Wrong. I am the one with the time travel powers. I was the one who was able to traverse the timelines and avoid getting wiped from existence. Iblis was destroyed. I am alone. Incomplete. And it is your fault, hedgehog." Mephiles pointed a finger at Shadow. "And I vow to make you pay."

Shadow felt a shiver go up his spine.

The End


End file.
